MUSKEGON – A few months ago, Cameron Korpi wondered if his days with the Muskegon Lumberjacks were numbered.

The young goaltender was acquired by the Lumberjacks for his potential, and the original plan was for him to back up starting goalie Jan Skorpik this season.

But Skorpik did not perform well in the first few weeks and the Lumberjacks released him. They also acquired two talented and experienced Russian goalies – Platon Zadorozhnyy and Aleksander Kuleshov – to stabilize the situation.

With all the sudden changes, Korpi was not sure what the future would hold for him.

“I was a little nervous,” said Korpi, 17, a native of South Lyon, Michigan. “I felt like maybe I was next, or I might not get the ice time I was told I was going to get, so I just put my head down and kept working hard, and it’s turned out all right.”

Korpi had no reason to worry. The Jacks had never soured on his potential and were happy to keep him around as part of a three-goalie system.

Of course that meant that his anticipated ice time would decrease, but he remained on the team, practicing every day, working out with Lumberjacks goalie coach Dave DeSander, and getting an occasional start.

Korpi made the most of those opportunities and kept improving. He impressed the Lumberjacks coaching staff enough to get the start on Dec. 31 at home against Youngstown in the Jacks’ first game following the holiday break.

He performed extremely well, stopping 28 of 30 shots, which allowed the Lumberjacks to grab a 3-2 overtime victory.

The best part was that his parents, Todd and Tracy Korpi, were in attendance and got to see their son have his best game of the season so far.

“They were happy for me,” Korpi said. “They just told me to keep working hard and it will show.”

Lumberjacks Coach Mike Hamilton said Korpi earned the start and was impressed with the way he played.

“We had an internal game (in practice) the other day and he won it and looked really sharp,” Hamilton said after the game. “We believe in what he brings to the table, so we need to remain committed to developing him I believe he wants back both of the goals he allowed, but he made four or five saves he shouldn’t have.”

Korpi’s services were needed again last Friday when the Lumberjacks traveled to Madison for the first of two weekend games against the Capitols.

The Jacks were scoring a lot of goals, but so was Madison, and Muskegon led 8-5 after two periods.

Hamilton pulled Zadorozhnyy after two periods and put Korpi in the game, and the move worked out beautifully. He stopped 14 of the 15 shots he faced, allowing the Jacks to claim a 10-6 victory.

Korpi was the only goalie to have any sort of success in that game. The two teams combined for 16 goals, with 16 different players scoring, but Korpi managed to cool Madison off on an otherwise hot night for goal scorers.

“Coach told me I was going in, and I started stretching to make sure I didn’t pull a hammy or anything,” he said. “I was cold, but once I stopped one (shot) I was OK. It’s tough to do that, but it’s all mental. If you tell yourself you’re going to play well, then you’re going to play well.”

At 6-2 and 155 pounds, Korpi hardly looks like a guy who could be the Lumberjacks’ starter next season, and has already accepted a hockey scholarship to Western Michigan University.

But he has the talent to play at high levels. It’s just been a matter of growing physically through a high-calorie diet and working in the weight room, and getting used to the speed of USHL competition.

He didn’t get off to a good start. He did great last season with Bismarck in the lower-level North American Hockey League, then was called up to the Team USA 17-Under team and struggled.

His second chance in the USHL came with the Lumberjacks this season, and he’s adjusting quite well.

“It’s crazy the difference (between the two leagues),” Korpi said. “But I think I’m starting to get used to it. I feel good in practice and games, and the team has been playing good in front of me.”

Korpi will not get as many starts this season as he would have if he had remained in a two-goalie system. Teams usually want promising young players to get a lot of game time to help their development, and the Jacks had the option of sending him back to the NAHL so he could play more.

But they decided he was better off in Muskegon, practicing every day with older players and getting special tutoring from DeSander.

“He’s been a huge help,” Korpi said about the goalie coach. “He’s been a big part of my success and the team’s success. He’s helped me a lot in terms of reading the game, reading rushes and getting faster.

“The practices here twice a day are just as good as playing in a game. It’s just the way the coaches run them. They are very game-like. Everything is a compete drill and it’s all super competitive.”

Regardless of how many games he plays in, Korpi said he enjoys being part of a great team, which the Lumberjacks have been in recent months, winning 16 of their last 19 games following a miserable start to the season.

“I think we may be the best team in the USHL,” he said. “I knew from the start that we had a good group. We just weren’t getting the bounces at first. We weren’t as close in the beginning. We’re all super close now. Everyone loves each other, and I enjoy coming to the rink every day.”